| adverb | preposition | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| vorn | vor | in front |
| hinten | hinter | behind |
| oben | über | above |
| unten | unter | below |
Classes of prepositions
Latin possesses three classes of words which function as adverbs and/or prepositions:
- words which only function as adverbs: foris ‘outside (essive), from outside’, and many more
- words which only function as prepositions: ad ‘at’, and many more
- words which function as adverbs and prepositions (the prepositional adverbs): ante ‘before’, and many more.
Class #3 includes many secondary prepositions.
| . | a. | circa | frontem | intentae | venae | moventur |
| Latin | around | forehead.M:ACC.SG | tense:PTCP.PASS:NOM.PL.F | vein.F:NOM.PL | move:3.PL:PASS | |
| around the forehead, the veins move tensed(Cels. Med. 2, 2, 3) | ||||||
| b. | ea | quae | circa | sunt | |
| ANA:NOM.PL.N | REL:NOM.PL.N | around | be\PRS:3.PL | ||
| that which is around [the carcinoma] (Cels. Med. 5, 28, 14e) | |||||
Result
- Stems are lexically categorized as case relators.
- There is no regular derivational process dedicated to adding or blocking a slot for the reference point.
- Distribution of stems among prepositions and adverbs is arbitrary.
- Many case relators have an optional complement.
- Adverbial relationality is not coded grammatically or derivationally.
Lehmann, Christian (to app.), “Complex spatial prepositions from Latin to Castilian”. Fagard, Benjamin & Pinto de Lima, José & Stosic, Dejan (eds.), Les prépositions complexes dans les langues romanes. Numéro spécial de Revue Romane. 
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